When Friendships Are Tested
by possibility-maker
Summary: The crew is falling apart. Luffy is struck with an unknown disease. Zoro and Sanji's rivalry has gone too far. One of them is missing and another gets a once in a lifetime chance to fulfill their dream, but not without a great cost. Can the Straw Hats come together to find a cure for their Captain before it's too late?
1. The Calm Before The Storm

** Bold= An emphasized word in someone's sentence**

_Italic_= _Someone's thoughts_

_**(Bold Italic)= Author's notes**_

* * *

**The Calm Before The Storm**

"Set sail, everyone!" Luffy shouted at the top of his lungs, "It's time for a new adventure!"

"Right!" The crew cheerfully responded.

Just leaving a fun, peace loving island in the New World, the Straw Hat Pirates set sail in a great mood. Everyone was doing their own thing on the ship. Nami was busy navigating, Franky was planning new designs for the ship, Usopp, Luffy and Chopper were having fun fishing for sea creatures, Zoro was doing some intense training, Robin was enjoying a nice book, Sanji was testing out a new dish, and Brook was singing a song.

"Hey Usopp!" Luffy shouted, getting Usopp's attention.

"Hmm?" Usopp turned to face Luffy, which ended up making him burst out laughing. Turning his head around, Usopp was immediately met face to face with Luffy doing his usual gag of putting straws **_(A/N: I think they're straws?)_** in his nostrils with the other end stretching the inside of his mouth.

Usopp was laughing so hard, he didn't notice himself throw his fishing rod in the air, causing it to land on Chopper's head. A little bit puzzled about the fishing rod hitting his head, Chopper turned around to face Luffy and Usopp, which resulted in him to roar in laughter as well.

_This doesn't ever get old!_, Usopp thought, laughing so much that his stomach started to hurt.

"You guys are as immature as ever." Nami told them, but they didn't mind it though because they loved to laugh together and despite the way Nami told them that, when they looked up at her face, they could see her smiling happily at them.

After hearing Nami talk, Luffy suddenly remembered something. He quickly took out the straws and ran up to Nami, leaving Usopp and Chopper rolling over their backs, still laughing.

"Hey Nami." Luffy called.

"Yeah?" Nami answered, looking up from her log pose that was fit for the New World. Little did she know that the next few words that came from Luffy's mouth were ones that she's been dreading for a long time now.

"It's my turn." He grinned.

Starting to feel panic start to overcome the calm she just had, Nami did the only thing she could think of at the moment; pretend she didn't hear and look away.

"Nami." Luffy pouted, "You promised."

Sighing, Nami slowly held out her arm to reveal her log pose to Luffy, silently crying on the inside. Without a moment's hesitation, Luffy found the destination that caught his eye and started jumping up and down in excitement, shouting "Let's go there!" while pointing at the needle that was shaking the most violently.

Slowly Nami opened her eyes that she had closed. Despite the fact that she was already anticipating which needle Luffy was pointing at, she couldn't stop the look of horror that instantly crossed her face.

"Please Luffy, not there! Anywhere but there!" She begged.

"Nope." Luffy said firmly, "That mystery place looks too interesting to pass up."

"But out of all the places we've been to in the New World, this one is shaking the most! I've never seen a needle shake this badly since... Never!"

"That's what makes it so interesting!" He grinned. If Nami's look of horror could have gotten anymore terrified, it just did.

"Alright everyone!" Luffy shouted to his crew, "Get ready for an adventure! And it's gonna be an interesting one too!" He added, causing everyone to be more aware of the danger they knew they were in for.

"An interesting adventure? I have goose bumps already, though I don't have any skin to get goose bumps with! Yohohoho!" Brook joked.

"That sounds SUPER!" Franky shouted, giving his signature pose.

"By your definition of interesting... Oh no!" Usopp cried, holding his face in his hands with the same look on his face that Nami had.

"Sounds like fun." Zoro and Robin both said calmly.

Sanji took a puff of his cigarette before he got hearts in his eyes and shouted "Don't worry Nami, Robin, I'll protect you two with my life!"

"If anyone gets hurt, I'll be sure to treat you!" Chopper added cheerfully.

"I don't wanna die!" Nami cried along with Usopp in a corner.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed.

With that said, the crew was prepared (or in some cases, not prepared at all) for whatever was thrown at them.

* * *

Walking in slow, sluggish steps to the aquarium where everyone was having lunch, Nami didn't think there could be any words scarier than the ones she was going to tell her crew.

"We're here." She announced as if speaking at a funeral.

"Yosh!" shouted Luffy, who quickly vacuum sucked all the food on the table with his mouth before anyone could touch a single thing.

"Hey!" complained Usopp.

"It doesn't matter anyway." laughed Franky, "I'm feeling SUPER this week, so let's go!"

"Yohoho! Can't complain there!" agreed Brook.

"Then let's go already!" Luffy shouted, but he was already out the door, running outside the ship.

"Whoa! There's mysterious white stuff everywhere!" shouted Luffy, "I can't see a single thing!"

"That's called mist, moron." Sanji said, walking up beside him to get a better view.

"But he **is** right." Robin noted, coming out from the ship with the rest of the crew. "With that thick mist along with those dark storm clouds up there, that makes it look like it could rain any second," She pointed at the sky, "It's near impossible to see."

"Oh Robin, you're so smart!" shouted Sanji.

"Idiot cook, anyone could have notice that." Zoro said, walking up to get a better look.

"What did you say, marimo?!" Sanji sneered.

"You wanna fight?!" Zoro demanded.

"Knock it off you two!" Nami yelled, punching them both in the head, "Still, I have a bad feeling about this..."

One by one, the Straw Hats lined up next to each other to get a good view of the island they had arrived at.

"This place gives me the creeps!" Nami shivered.

"There could be treasure." Robin considered.

"Let's go." Nami instantly said.

"Her eyes turned to belly!" shouted Usopp and Chopper.

* * *

"I know that it's easy to get lost on this island... But do we really have to hold onto this rope and walk in a line like we're children?!" cried Usopp, tightly gripping the rope in his right hand.

"You should be more polite," yelled Sanji, "This was Robin's idea, you know?! You could hurt her feelings!"

"I merely said that we should stick close together... This is just... too embarrassing..." Robin said darkly.

"I think this is SUPER!" Franky yelled cheerfully, raising his arms to do his signature pose, which caused everyone else to raise their right arm too, or in Chopper's case, be lifted up into the air.

"Hey! Watch it!" yelled Zoro.

"Yohohoho! This is so fun!" laughed Brook.

"What's so-" Zoro started to say, but was cut off by Luffy's laughter.

Everyone was caught off guard by his cheerful laughter. His laugh rang throughout the whole island in a loud, childish like way. By now, his laughter was so infectious that it got the whole Straw Hat crew laughing for no apparent reason.

"Yohohoho! This is why it's so fun! The way we can all laugh and be so cheerful in such a dark and depressing island!" Brook cheered.

"Yeah," Chopper agreed, "It's such a great feeling to be able to laugh together like this!" His sentence was met with a lot of agreements.

* * *

"It's like there's no one here! It's so boring!" shouted Luffy, after quite some time of walking.

"Wait!" Usopp shouted, "There's something coming!"

"Wow, Usopp! You're right, I see something coming! You have such good eyes!" Chopper cried.

"Of course I do!" bragged Usopp, "I'm not the best sniper in the world for nothing! You know, my good eyes once saved someone's life. Someone aimed a gun at a King's chest, and then I shouted "Watch out!" and pushed him aside, taking the bullet myself!"

"Wow, really?! You're so amazing, Usopp!" shouted Chopper.

"Back to the matter at hand..." Nami said, rolling her eyes.

"Instead of charging ahead to see who that is, we should hide and wait for them to show themselves." suggested Robin.

Seconds later, everyone was hiding behind their own tree or bush, waiting for the person to come. What they didn't expect though, was a little puppy strolling in, sniffing the ground at his feet.

"Guys, it's okay! It's just a dog!" Luffy shouted, running up to the puppy to get a better look.

"Wait! Luffy, you idiot!" shouted Sanji.

"He looks so harmless!" Luffy laughed. When the puppy finally noticed him, he let out an excited bark. In response, Luffy held out his left hand and said "Yo!" with a big smile on his face.

After a short pause, the dog sniffed his hand and then emitted a low growl.

"Huh?" was all Luffy said before the dog transformed himself into a scarier and intimidating form than the cute little puppy that was there seconds before.

His fur turned a deep shade of purple with glowing red eyes and longer, sharper fangs.

"This doesn't look good." Zoro said, rushing in along with the rest of the Straw Hats with his swords at the ready.

But by the time they were by Luffy's side, the dog had already bitten the hand he had held out and ran off.

"Oww! Damn it, that hurt!" cried Luffy.

"Luffy! Are you okay? Let me see your hand, I'll treat it!" Chopper demanded, quickly looking over his hand to see if he had been infected with anything.

"What **was **that thing?!" Nami shouted worriedly.

"Whatever it was, it scared the Speedo off of me!" Franky shouted.

Sanji shivered, "That's one perverted image I don't want to see... again."

"You really think I'm perverted? Oh stop it!" Franky smiled his perverted smile.

"So how's Luffy?" asked Usopp.

"I don't see any signs that he's been poisoned," Chopper said, wrapping Luffy's hand with bandages from his bag, "And it doesn't look infected, but Luffy, you should have a thorough check up when we get back to the ship."

"But I feel fine now!" He complained, "It just hurts a little..."

"If you feel fine, we should keep going to see if there's anyone here." Zoro proposed.

"Yes, I agree." said Brook.

"Alright, but don't put too much pressure on your hand, Luffy." Chopper worried.

"Shhh!" Nami shushed, "I hear crying..."

Quietly signaling her crew to follow her, Nami led them to the noise she heard. As they got closer, the crying got louder and louder. When they finally found the source of the crying, they were surprised to find a single boy who looked no more than seven, sitting on the ground bawling his eyes out.

The crew cautiously walked towards him due to the fact of what happened to Luffy only moments before. When they reached a distance not too far, but not too close to the boy, they stopped there and silently watched.

Getting impatient with the boy, Zoro shouted at him, "What's wrong with you, kid?!"

"Zoro!" Nami scolded.

The boy slowly raised his head up to look at them and then blinked as if waking up from a dream.

"Who are you people?" He asked, backing away quickly.

Nami quickly put on a calm, happy face and said "I'm Nami and this is Zoro, Usopp, Brook, Franky, Robin, Sanji, Chopper and our Captain Luffy." She said, pointing to each of their faces when she said their names.

"Captain?" The boy asked, "Are you guys pirates?"

"Yep," Franky said, "You got a problem with that, kid?"

"Franky!" Nami scolded.

"Not at all! I love pirates!" The boy beamed.

Nami smiled at him. Feeling satisfied that the boy was getting more comfortable talking to them, Nami asked him the question she's been wondering. "Why were you crying?"

The boy sniffed a little before saying "I'm all alone."

"All alone?" Luffy frowned, "Why are you all alone, um...?"

"Riku, my name's Riku." He said.

"Riku... That's a wonderful name!" Nami smiled.

"Okay, Riku, so why are you all alone?" repeated Luffy.

"Because there's no one here." He said simply.

"That **does **make you all alone." Usopp whispered to Brook who nodded in agreement.

Feeling worried, Robin asked "Why are you the only one here? Isn't there anyone else on this island? Any family? Friends?"

"No." Riku sniffed, "I don't know where they all are. I'm the only one on this island." He sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

"That's crazy!" Chopper shouted, "How can you-"

"Let's not push him anymore." Nami said, seeing the upset face the boy had, "How would you like to come with us for now?" She offered, "You can stay with us until we find a nice place for you to call home."

Zoro frowned, "That's not a good idea-"

"Nami, you're so amazing when you're kind! It makes me fall in love with you all over again!" shouted Sanji with hearts popping out of his eyes.

"There's no harm in it, Zoro." Nami said, completely ignoring Sanji.

"You're also amazing when you act so cold hearted!" cried Sanji, who was about to throw his arms around Nami, but she easily sidestepped it.

"She's right." Robin added, "The most harm he can do is stab us in the back when we're asleep and then throw us to the sea monsters." Of course, saying this caused Usopp and Chopper to cry out in fear.

"Oh Robin, I love it when you're so dark and mysterious! Don't you ever think that I'd forget about you, my love!" Sanji exclaimed.

"Why don't you just shut up already?!" Zoro snapped.

"Why don't you say that again, marimo?" yelled Sanji, getting in Zoro's face.

"I really don't think he would do that, Robin." Nami said, ignoring the two boys, "He looks so harmless and scared, we can't just leave him here. What do you think, Luffy?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Luffy smiled and said "Sure! You can be our new nakama!"

"Great!" Nami smiled, "So what do you say?" she asked while bending down and holding out her hand to the little boy. "Do you want to be our nakama and come with us?"

Riku stared at the strange pirate crew that was before his eyes. A cyborg, a skeleton, two crewmates who seemed like they always fought with each other, a long nosed scaredy cat **_(sorry Usopp! Didn't know what else to call you...)_** , a talking, blue nosed reindeer that resembled a racoon, a girl who looked on the dark side of things, and a Captain who would trust strangers right away. The only one who seemed normal was the orange haired girl named Nami, but heck, what did he know? For all he knew, she could have had some greedy obsession over money... But still, this offer was just too good to refuse. On the other hand though, he couldn't help but wonder what he was getting himself into when he grabbed a hold of Nami's hand and said "Yes."

* * *

"Here's to a new nakama!" shouted Luffy, holding up a mug of sake.

"Hooray!" The crew cheered, holding up their own mugs. With his own juice filled mug, Riku stared in wonder at the pirate crew.

The Straw Hats have safely made it back to their ship, the Thousand Sunny, thanks to Riku who seemed to know his way around the island, and not so much thanks to Zoro who kept going the opposite directions Riku pointed them at. Now back on the Thousand Sunny and headed towards their next destination (which by the way, was the safest one according to the log pose), the crew celebrates a new nakama.

"Luffy, can I talk to you?" Chopper asked, pulling Luffy away from their crew and Riku, who were having fun laughing and talking.

"Awww, but I wanted to get Sanji to cook me some BBQ." He complained.

"Luffy, this is serious!" Chopper insisted, getting the full attention of Luffy now. "From the way Riku kept saying I don't know to all the questions we asked him when we walked back to the Sunny, I would say he has amnesia."

"Am- neez- a?" Luffy asked, giving a puzzled expression and tilting his head 180 degrees to the left.

"Amnesia." Chopper repeated, "It means he lost his memories from the past. And what makes it worse is that there was no one else on the island, and since he didn't seem to have any head injuries severe enough to cause amnesia, my best guess is that he experienced a large amount of shock that caused him this memory loss, or possibly worse, he witnessed something so traumatizing, that he forced himself to forget everything."

"Hmm..." Luffy thoughtfully rubbed his chin.

"Did you understand anything I just told you?" Chopper sighed.

"No. But I dohave a question."

"Really? What is it?" Chopper asked, excited that even though Luffy didn't understand, he was still curious about what he just explained.

"When did you get a new ear?" He asked, pointing at Chopper's shoulder, near the back.

"A new...?" Chopper wondered if Luffy was feeling alright.

"Oops, I've been found out." Robin giggled from a few feet away. Luffy and Chopper stared as she walked towards them.

"H-Have you been listening?" Chopper stuttered.

"Yes, the whole time." She answered truthfully.

"So, what do you think?" He asked curiously.

"Well, your theory sounds so accurate that I'd be surprised if you were wrong." She admitted, causing Chopper to start dancing happily while telling her to shut up. "If we want to know what really happened," Robin continued, "Perhaps we should try giving Riku the opposite effect of what forced himself to have amnesia in the first place."

"You mean..." Chopper paused, "Making him feel so happy that he'd somehow remember? Will that really work?"

"It doesn't hurt to try." Luffy said, but hesitated after he realized something. "But it's really none of our business. If he wants to forget about something bad, that's up to him to decide. We shouldn't force him to remember."

"That's true." Chopper said, suddenly feeling guilty for even thinking about it.

"However, we could actually be helping him." Robin said, carefully choosing her words.

"How so?" Chopper asked, curious at what Robin just said.

"We would be helping him to face his problems. It never helps to try to forget about them and run away. I should know." Chopper and Luffy couldn't help but agree to what she just said.

"So, how can we make him feel so happy that he'd remember what he wanted to forget so badly?" Chopper wondered.

Immediately, Brook's voice rang out above anyone else's.

"Yohoho! This wonderful occasion of welcoming a new nakama just touches my heart, not like I have a heart to touch though! Yohohoho! To fully welcome Riku on to the Sunny, I would like to sing Bink's Sake." He announced.

"I don't think that will be a problem." Robin smiled, answering Chopper's question while watching Riku's excited face.

"Bink's Sake!" Luffy shouted excitedly, "I love that song..." Feeling a slight dizziness, Luffy staggered to the side.

"Luffy! What's wrong?!" cried Chopper.

"Oh no, I hope you didn't get terribly sick when that dog like monster from the island bit you." Robin said worriedly, which caused Chopper to cry out in fear.

"I'm so sorry, Luffy! I got so occupied thinking about Riku, I completely forgot about your hand! You have to get it checked on immediately!" demanded Chopper.

"No, no, I'm fine." Luffy said, waving them off with his hand, "I want to listen to this song."

Everyone watched as Brook walked over to a piano that was conveniently just sitting there on the deck. He cleared his throat (not like he had a throat to clear! Yohohoho!) before playing the cheerful notes of the song.

_**Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho**_**_  
_****_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho_****_  
_****_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho_****_  
_****_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho_**

Forgetting all the problems in the world, everyone's spirits were soon lifted up as high as the sky.

_**Going to deliver Bink's sake**__  
__**Following the sea breeze**__**  
**_**_Riding on the waves_**_  
__**Far across the salty depths**__**  
**__**The merry evening sun**__**  
**_**_Painting circles in the sky_**_**  
**__**As the birds sing**_

The crew happily sang along with such a joyful song.

_**Farewell to the harbour**_**_  
_****_To my old hometown_****_  
_****_Lets all sing out with a Don_****_  
_****_As the ship sets sail_****_  
_****_Waves of gold and silver_****_  
_****_Dissolve to salty spray_****_  
_****_As we all set sail to_****_  
_****_The ends of the sea_**

Riku watched in amazement at how happy everyone was just by singing this song.

_**Going to deliver Bink's sake**_**_  
_****_We are pirates_****_  
_****_Sailing through the sea_****_  
_****_The waves are our pillows_****_  
_****_The ship, our roost_****_  
_****_Flying the proud skull_****_  
_****_On our flags and our sails_**

Zoro calmly crossed his arms and tapped his foot as he watched Franky chug down a bottle of coke.

_**Now comes a storm**_**_  
_****_Through the far-off sky_****_  
_****_Now the waves are dancing_****_  
_****_Beat upon the drums_****_  
_****_If you lose your nerve_****_  
_****_This breath could be your last_****_  
_****_But if you just hold on_****_  
_****_The morning sun will rise_**

Sanji twirled Nami around as she allowed him a dance. Smiling at her, Nami couldn't help but laugh at how much fun she was having.

_**Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho**_**_  
_****_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho_****_  
_****_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho_****_  
_****_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho_**

Completely forgetting his troubles, Chopper danced along with Usopp, both of them with straws in their nostrils as they laughed at each other.

_**Going to deliver Bink's sake**_**_  
_****_Today and tomorrow_****_  
_****_Our dreams through the night_****_  
_****_Waving our goodbyes_****_  
_****_We'll never meet again_****_  
_****_But don't look so down_****_  
_****_For at night the moon will rise_**

Robin stood there, smiling at her crew as she reminisced about all the times she's heard this wonderful song.

_**Going to deliver Bink's sake**_**_  
_****_Let's all sing it with a Don_****_  
_****_A song of the waves_****_  
_****_Doesn't matter who you are_****_  
_****_Someday you'll just be bones_****_  
_****_Never-ending, ever-wandering_****_  
_****_Our funny traveling tale_**

Brook played the keys on the piano with all his heart, happy to be able to sing this song that brought him so many happy memories, with his crew.

_**Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho**_**_  
_****_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho_****_  
_****_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho_****_  
_****_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho_**

Luffy laughed along with all his nakama, proud to be the Captain of such an amazing crew. He had a smile on his face as the world got more and more dizzy to him. He collapsed on the wooded decks of the Thousand Sunny with a smile still on his face.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! (I've been working on it for quite some time now...) And for those of you crying in fear like Usopp and Chopper, no Luffy is not dead (thankfully!).**

** Oh, and the song lyrics I got from this website- lyrics/15971044/one-piece-binks-sake-japanese-and- english-version. **

** Review and let me know what you think of this story. Until next time, later!**


	2. The City of Roger

** Thanks for the reviews everyone, I really appreciate them! Now to reply to them.**

** Kimonohi Tsuki: Thanks a lot! I didn't really think much of the title but I put a lot of thought in my summary and I'm glad you appreciate them both! And don't worry, I'm going to continue this story.**

** Monkeyledit: Thank you very much, I'm glad to know you like the story!**

** chibi-twan: Thanks, I'm happy to know that you think this story is awesome!**

** zazafona: Thanks a bunch! I'm always happy to be complimented on my stories!**

* * *

**The City of Roger**

"Luffy!" His crew shouted.

Riku stood there frozen as the Straw Hats rushed to their Captain's side. Time seemed to go slower for Riku. Brook suddenly stopped playing his piano, his mouth dropping a little in surprise. Zoro called Franky's name to get his attention, but Franky had already noticed, a frown crossing his worried face. Sanji's cigarette fell out of his mouth as Nami cried out in alarm. Robin's usually calm face turned into a mixture of both shock and worry. Usopp and Chopper immediately stopped laughing at each other. They both let out a panicked cry; the only difference being whereas Usopp was wondering what happened to his Captain, Chopper quickly blamed himself for letting this happen to his Captain. Riku silently watched all of this happen and a split second later, everyone was running to Luffy's side.

"Luffy!" They all cried. Zoro being the first to get to Luffy's side, quickly checked his pulse.

"Luffy's alive, he just fainted." He announced. Everyone let out a sigh of relief, but was still worried about Luffy's condition.

"Luffy!" Chopper cried out, putting a hand**_ (hoof?) _**on his forehead, he quickly said "He's running a high fever; we have to get him to a bed immediately."

"I got it." Franky volunteered. He stepped forward and lifted Luffy over his shoulders as if carrying a sack of potatoes **_(Because let's admit it, using his arms would have been uncomfortable and awkward)_**.Walking over to the sick room, Franky carefully put Luffy on the bed and walked outside to wait with the others as Chopper attended to Luffy.

"What happened to him? It was just so sudden." Usopp said worriedly.

"My best guess is the effects of getting bitten by that... **thing**." Nami shivered from just thinking about it. "I hope Luffy's all right."

"That's nothing to be worried about." Zoro said calmly while crossing his arms, "Luffy's been through worse; he's strong. He wouldn't be our Captain if he wasn't."

"For once, I agree with the marimo here." Sanji took a puff of his cigarette, "Whatever this is that's gotten Luffy, will probably go away by tomorrow morning. All he needs is some sleep and five days worth of food." He smirked.

"You're probably right." Nami said, not sounding convinced, "But still..."

"Nami," Zoro said in a serious tone, "The best we can do for him right now is keeping this ship going. Standing here worrying about Luffy won't do a damn thing to help him."

Nami stood there quiet for a while until she finally said "You're right. Let's get the Sunny to the next island."

* * *

When Chopper finally came out of his room, everyone quickly rushed towards him.

"So what's wrong with Luffy?" Usopp asked.

Chopper took a trembling breath before he said "I have no idea. I diagnosed him with everything. It's obvious that he got his fever from that dog, but I have no idea what from the dog caused it. There's no indication that he's been infected with anything from the dog. I just... have no idea."

"Yohohoho! Don't look so down, Chopper. We all agree that Luffy is strong. Like Zoro and Sanji said, he's been through worse and just needs a good night's sleep." Brook said cheerfully, trying to make Chopper feel better.

"Everything will be fine, Chopper." Robin smiled at him.

"Yes." Brook nodded, "Oh, Robin, I forgot to ask you today, but may I see your pan-" Before he could finish his sentence, Nami immediately based his skull with her hand, causing him to fall backwards.

Chopper laughed at their comedic actions. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks for cheering me up!"

Zoro, who was carefully keeping an eye on the sea, noticed a small figure start to appear.

"Guys." He called out, still staring at the sea, which caused everyone else to look that way too.

"Looks like we're here." Sanji announced.

Everyone watched as the ship got closer and closer to their destination. When the island could be seen more clearly, they noticed beautiful grassy fields with plenty of trees and plants. Animals were running around the place as birds chirped from above. A dock could be seen leading up to a beach, and next to the beach was a beautiful city with tall walls surrounding it.

The Straw Hats lowered their anchor by the dock before they decided what to do next.

"Let's go explore!" Franky shouted excitedly, which got Usopp and Brook to nod in agreement.

"No!" yelled Nami, "First we have to decide what to do with Luffy."

"I have a suggestion." Robin called out, "This place doesn't appear to be dangerous, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to look around here. However, because of Luffy's condition, we shouldn't be far enough away from each other that we won't be able to make contact right away. And since that city over there is quite the walking distance from the Sunny, we should all find an inn or hotel to stay at until the log pose sets and Luffy fully recovers."

"My sweet Robin, that sounds like a wonderful idea!" exclaimed Sanji.

"Um, aren't we missing someone?" Usopp pointed out.

"Riku!" Chopper shouted, "Where's Riku?"

"Oh, I think I saw him go to the aquarium. I'll go get him right now. You guys go get Luffy." Nami said, already walking inside.

* * *

"It seems really quiet compared to the last island we went to." Usopp noticed. With Zoro carrying Luffy on his back, everyone (including Riku) is now walking towards the giant walls of the city.

"I think it's because last time, Luffy didn't have this fever." Chopper said quietly, now in his walking point.

"Yes." Brook agreed, "It's not as fun if everyone's not in top condition."

"Don't be ridiculous." Zoro snapped, "I keep telling you that Luffy will be fine. How much can one bite to the hand really do?"

"Well," Robin calmly said, "We have no idea what that dog actually was, or what one bite from it can do. So for all we know, Luffy could be dead right now." Crying out in fear, Usopp and Chopper rushed to Zoro's back to check on Luffy, but Zoro gave them the evil eye which made Usopp and Chopper immediately back away.

"He's alive. I can feel him breathing." Zoro informed everyone. Usopp and Chopper sighed in relief.

"Chopper, can I talk to you about something?" Nami whispered so only Chopper could hear.

"Sure, Nami." Chopper whispered back, confused at why they were talking so quiet.

"I think... there's something wrong with Riku." Nami whispered worriedly, looking back to make sure that Riku wasn't aware of their conversation.

"What do you mean?" Chopper asked, wondering if Nami has already figured out that Riku has amnesia.

"Well, before Luffy fainted, Riku looked so happy, but when I went to go get him from the aquarium, he hardly said a word."

"Perhaps he's worried about Luffy?" Chopper suggested.

"No." Nami shook her head, "We just met him. He shouldn't be so worried about Luffy that he doesn't want to talk. And another thing, his expression."

"His expression?" Chopper asked.

"He doesn't have one. When I look at him, I can't read his face or tell what his emotion is. He's completely different from the scared little boy we met back at that island."

Chopper looked behind him to notice she was right. Riku was putting on one heck of a poker face.

"We're here." Franky announced, staring up at the locked metal gates that were just as tall as the walls around it.

Zoro frowned "What the hell kind of security is this? Hey! Let us in!" He shouted at the guard who was keeping watch on the inside of the gates.

"Zoro! We're not here to cause a scene." Nami scolded Zoro and then turned to give a polite smile at the guard. "I'm sorry about that, sir. We were just wondering if you could let us in." But the guard just scowled at them, making no move to let them in.

"See? That doesn't work either, so we have to use force." Zoro stated while taking out his swords and completely forgetting that Luffy was still on his back.

But before he could do anything, another guard came running up to the first one, looking angry.

"What do you think you're doing?!" demanded the second guard. "Those are the famous Straw Hat Pirates! Let them in immediately!"

Shocked by what he just heard, the first guard ran up to the gates and unlocked it, muttering "Then who was that other guy?" This didn't go unnoticed by Robin.

"Famous, huh?" Usopp puffed out his chest, "I like the sound of that!" Usopp exclaimed, getting a lot if agreements from the guys. But Robin and Nami just frowned.

"I am very sorry for this incompetent fool." The second guard apologized, bowing his head while pushing his hand on the other guard's head to force him to bow as well. "And I would like to welcome you to the Grand City of Roger." He smiled, gesturing his hand at the entrance of the city.

Franky got a puzzled look on his face "Roger? As in **the** Gol D. Roger?"

"Yes." He grinned, "This city was named after him."

Robin frowned "Just what kind of place is this? A city that's named after Gol D. Roger himself and welcomes pirates?"

"Yeah, I want to know that too." Nami agreed, thinking about Whiskey Peak and how they acted so hospitable before they tried to kill them.

The guard gave a small laugh "I understand your suspicions, but rest assured, in this city, any group of pirates of your status are as welcome here as any other nobles are welcomed. You see, in the City of Roger, status is everything."

Zoro frowned, thinking how this guy reminded him way too much of Axe-Hand Morgan back when he first met Luffy.

The guard continued "Nobles aren't the only ones welcomed here because of their status. If one is famous enough to be known throughout the world and perhaps even feared by the government, that is a high enough status to be welcomed here, even pirates. And who has the highest status that was fear itself? Why, that would be the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger."

"But why-" Nami was cut off by Zoro.

"Nami, let's leave it at that. We have to find a place to stay at so Luffy can rest properly." He said, walking inside the city.

Nami hesitated "Right." And they all followed after Zoro.

"That guy is nuts!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Yeah, I agree with you there." Sanji lighted a cigarette.

"It's like this place runs on fear." Zoro frowned.

"Anyways, we should be finding a hotel or inn to stay at." Robin reminded them.

* * *

"So what should we do now?" Usopp asked. After an hour of searching, Riku and the Straw Hats have finally found a hotel to stay at. Deciding to room in pairs of two, the pairs are Zoro and Usopp, Franky and Brook, Sanji and Riku, Luffy and Chopper, and Robin and Nami. Finally getting their rooms, all of them are now in Chopper and Luffy's room deciding what to do (With the exception of Luffy lying on the bed, now asleep).

"We should go look around to see if this place is really as safe as we thought it was." Zoro suggested.

"Yes, with the nobles around, this place might not have been a good idea. I'll go ask around to see if anyone knows when the log pose will be set." Robin volunteered.

"I need to go restock on groceries." Sanji said, giving Luffy the evil eye even though he couldn't see.

"Yohohoho! Franky, Usopp and I will go on an adventure!" Brook exclaimed, causing Franky and Usopp to cheer.

Nami gave them the evil eye, making Usopp stutter "Of course we're doing this for Luffy's sake. He would have wanted us to go." Franky and Brook nodded in agreement.

"I need to stay here and take care of Luffy." Chopper said worriedly, looking over at Luffy who was still asleep.

"I don't want to leave you alone here, looking after Luffy. I'll help." Nami volunteered. Chopper thanked her while Nami kept staring at Franky, Usopp and Brook, causing them to gulp.

"What are you going to do, Riku?" Chopper asked him.

"I'm going to stay in my room." Riku said with the same emotionless face.

Nami gave Chopper a knowing look before she said "Alright, now that we have that settled, the sun is going to set in a few hours, so everyone get back here before it gets dark."

* * *

**Nami and Chopper**

"I wonder what we should do about Riku?" asked Chopper.

"For now, we don't need to worry about him. We need to wait until Luffy gets better before we do anything." Nami answered, laying a wet cloth on Luffy's forehead.

"Yeah, you're right." Checking Luffy's temperature, Chopper said, "I'm really worried about him. His fever has gotten higher since the last time I checked and none of the medicine I gave him is working."

Nami looked at Chopper stare at the floor before asking "What is this really about?"

Chopper stayed quiet for a few minutes before replying "If I was a better doctor, this wouldn't have happened to Luffy. I should have checked on his hand right when we got back to the Sunny. But instead of that, I ended up drinking a glass of sake and ended up celebrating. Now, because of me, Luffy is sick in bed."

"Now hold on." Nami disagreed, "You're our doctor and we wouldn't have it any other way. You're an amazing doctor that we would trust with our lives. Besides, you weren't only celebrating back then, you were also worried about Riku."

"You knew?" Chopper looked up at her.

Nami winked at him "You guys are very bad at not looking suspicious."

"Thanks, Nami." Chopper smiled.

* * *

**Sanji**

"I think I'm in love! Being surrounded by such beautiful women! Is this what Heaven feels like?!" Finishing his grocery shopping, Sanji is now dancing from women to women, pouring his heart out to each and every one of them.

* * *

**Robin**

"Hmm... Who would know how long it takes for a log pose to set here?" Robin wondered out loud. After seven failed attempts at asking about the log pose, Robin was now wandering around the streets of the city, contemplating who to ask next. "It seems the people of this city aren't very knowledgeable." She chided.

Before she could find an answer however, a very audible "Pshh!" was heard coming from an alleyway next to her. Feeling curious, Robin turned to her left to walk in the alley. Immediately feeling a hand touch her shoulder, she calmly turned around to see a suspicious looking man wearing a straw hat.

"The name's Straw Hat Luffy. You've probably heard of me, I'm pretty famous for challenging the government." He smiled smugly.

_Well this should be interesting._, Robin thought, smiling at him.

"I heard that you were wondering when the log pose sets. It takes three days to set."

"Why should I trust you?" Robin asked, now amused.

"Girl, you were looking for knowledge and I gave it to you. I'm the most knowledgeable guy here!" He boasted. "If you want something, I get it for you! If you want secrets, I talk! From buried treasure, to giant cubes, I know them all!"

This caught Robin's attention "Giant cubes, you say?"

"Ah! I knew I could get you interested! You see, in the King's Palace here in this city, he has a treasure room hidden behind his throne. And people say that he's kept a giant, indestructible stone cube there that has writing that no one was ever able to read."

"Interesting..." Robin mumbled.

"And now that you know what you want..." The fake Luffy smiled evilly at her, "It's time that you repaid me!"

Before the fake Luffy could grab her, Robin calmly used her Devil Fruit powers to sprout a giant foot in front of her. The fake Luffy stopped to look puzzlingly at it. Taking the opportunity, the giant foot kicked the fake Luffy in his most vulnerable spot, causing him to instantly fall to the ground in pain.

"I guess you're not as knowledgeable as you say you are if you weren't aware that I'm a part of the Straw Hats." Robin smiled sweetly at him. All she heard before she left was a weak groan.

* * *

**Franky, Usopp and Brook**

"It's just... not the same without Luffy." Usopp and Franky said darkly with their heads down while on their hands and knees.

Looking up, Usopp asked "Huh? Where's Brook?"

"He's over there talking to some ladies." Franky answered while pointing his finger without even lifting his head up.

"Yohohoho, will you be so kind as to show me your panties?" Brook two women, who in response, screamed, slapped his face and then ran away, still screaming.

"Oh." Was all Usopp said before he went back to his grieving.

* * *

**Zoro**

"I definitely don't like this place." muttered Zoro. Only half an hour since he left the hotel, Zoro has already seen snobby nobles who think they're better than everyone else, pirates who loved to flaunt their names around and people begging to get his attention because of how "famous" he was.

* * *

"Where the hell are they?" Nami asked no one in particular. Night has come and everyone except Sanji, Franky, Usopp and Brook has made it back to the hotel. Everyone else, including Riku, were now waiting inside Luffy and Chopper's room.

"I saw that moron of a cook just before I got here." Zoro recalled, leaning back on a chair.

"Then where is he?!" Nami demanded, annoyed that Zoro didn't tell her earlier.

"No idea." He answered calmly.

"Nami, please calm down, we shouldn't wake up Luffy." Chopper warned.

Nami paused before she said "Fine."

"But I do wonder where they are?" Robin puzzled.

"Who knows?" Zoro replyed, "For all we know, they-"

The door slammed open and Sanji stormed in, stomping his feet while breathing heavily. His entire face was red and you could almost see smoke coming out of his ears. It was clear that he was angry about something; they just wondered what.

"You look like a-" Zoro was interrupted by the infuriated Sanji.

"Shut the hell up, you stupid bastard! I will personally kick you all the way to Hell myself" Sanji hissed.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Zoro asked calmly, still leaning back on his chair.

"Don't act like you don't know!" He growled.

"Sanji, what are you talking about?" Nami asked.

"I'm talking about this damn marimo making a girl cry!" Sanji roared, even more angry now that he's said it.

"Stupid cook probably put poison in his own food because I don't remember doing that!" yelled Zoro.

"**Lies!** I saw her tears myself!"

"Guys, please calm down!" Chopper begged.

Zoro suddenly stood up from his chair, causing it to fall over. "That's it. I've had enough of your stupid nonsense! I'm going to slice-"

Zoro couldn't finish his sentence because at that moment, Usopp and Franky came running into the room, panting heavily.

"Guys, this is bad!" Usopp panicked.

"Now's not the time!" snapped Sanji.

"No, this is serious," Usopp insisted, "Brook disappeared!"

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Things are starting to get interesting with the Straw Hats now, and it will keep getting more interesting! **

** Review and let me know what you think! Until next time, later!**


	3. Lights! Camera! Drama!

**zazafona: Yep, things are getting bad for the Straw Hats alright! And I'm happy that you enjoyed chapter 2!**

** Llaelien: Thanks! I'm glad that you think it's interesting!**

* * *

**Lights! Camera! Drama!**

Brook woke up with a sudden jolt to his bones. Still a little dazed, he looked around at his surroundings. Complete darkness. From a few feet away, water could be heard dripping into the floor, it made an echo sound inside what Brook assumed to be a room.

Finally getting his senses straight, Brook was able to think clearly again.

_Yohoho, where am I? What is this place?_, Brook wondered. He decided to test out his movements. First his arms; he flexed his fingers and then slowly moved both of his arms. Then he tried his legs. Slowly, he got up from the cold floor. Feeling satisfied that he wasn't tied up nor had any noticeable injuries, Brook sat back down and began to think.

Now, what happened to me? First, I politely asked those beautiful women to show me their panties, but that didn't work out...

Creasing his brow in frustration (Not like he had any eyebrows to crease! Yohoho!), Brook struggled to remember what happened next.

_Hmm... Let's see, feeling discouraged, my hopes were suddenly brought back up when another beautiful women walked past me. I called out to her, but she didn't respond. So I followed her all the way to a completely empty street... and then..._

Brook's concentration was lost when he heard a loud creaking noise in front of him. Realizing it was probably the door to the room opening, he quickly braced himself for his kidnapper. When the door was fully opened, the first thing Brook noticed was a small light coming from a candle.

He slowly looked up to his kidnapper's face. "Yohohoho, well isn't this a surprise?"

* * *

Chopper tossed and turned in his bed, unable to sleep because of the previous events that occurred in just one day. Finally giving up, he decided to check on Luffy again, for the 12th time that night.

_His fever's gotten higher again. It's like it's going up bit by bit in a certain pattern._

Chopper wet the cloth that was lying on his forehead and quickly put it back. As he stared at his sick Captain, his mind wandered back to the day's events.

Everything seemed so fine at first, but then Luffy got bit by that dog like monster. Then they found Riku and celebrated, but after that, Luffy fainted face first onto the Sunny. Next, they arrived at the city of Roger. And after, they checked into a hotel, then they temporarily went their separate ways. Finally, Sanji came back angry at Zoro and Usopp and Franky came back announcing Brook's disappearance.

That last one was still a shock to him though, it was just so... sudden. Of course, everything else that happened that day felt sudden too.

**Flashback**

"Disappeared?" Nami could feel a headache coming in. First Luffy, then Sanji, and now Brook? This was all too much to handle in just one day. "What do you mean Brook just disappeared?"

"Exactly what I said!" Usopp cried, "We were too busy... er... uh..." Franky cleared his throat before Usopp said "Helping an old lady! We were too busy helping an old lady to notice Brook disappear! When we finally noticed, we searched everywhere for him, but we couldn't find him anywhere! What do we do?" He asked, worried.

Giving Zoro one last glare, Sanji answered him "For now, we do nothing."

"What?!" Chopper burst out, "How can you say that?! We have to keep looking for him!"

"No." Robin disagreed, "Calm down and think about it, Chopper. It's too dark outside to do anything right now, it would be a waste of time to look for him now. We don't even know if he's in any real danger, he could have just wandered away and got lost. Besides, Brook is a strong person, whatever situation he's in, he can handle himself. We should stay here and look for him tomorrow. For now, we have to rest."

**Present Time**

"Easier said than done." Chopper muttered quietly to himself. Chopper stared at his red faced, sweating Captain. Realizing his clothes were getting drenched, Chopper carefully changed them for him, wiping away all his sweat while doing so.

Chopper could feel a huge weight on his shoulders as he stared at Luffy's still sleeping form. It was probably a terrible thing to think since Luffy was the one in so much pain, but he couldn't help it. He was the crew's doctor, so he should be able to heal anyone that needed to be healed. But here he was, sitting there, not able to do a damn thing to help his Captain. It was a foolish thing to think, all Luffy needed was some time, right? Still, he hated to not be able to do anything; especially when his Captain needed him. Dr. Hiluluk's face suddenly came to him.

No, this wouldn't be like that time when Chopper barely knew a thing about medical techniques. He was a skilled doctor for the Straw Hats. He was here, with all his nakama **_(More or less because of Brook...)_**, to help Luffy become the Pirate King. And damn it, this was just another obstacle to overcome.

He wasn't sure if it was Luffy's 'anything's possible' kind of atmosphere that rubbed off on him, but Chopper now has the new found confidence that he needed so badly. Luffy was going to be fine. Sanji and Zoro are going to make up. And they were going to find Brook, safe and sound.

Chopper rushed to the big backpack that he brought with him and emptied out all the contents inside, onto a desk. Feeling glad that he brought a lot of his medical books with him, Chopper flipped through them with a new resolution in mind; as long as Luffy didn't give up, neither would he.

* * *

Nami knocked on Luffy and Chopper's door. Not getting any response, she knocked again.

_That's strange, it's already noon; Chopper should be awake already._

Feeling curious, Nami turned the door handle to find it unlocked. She quietly pushed open the door and was surprised to see that Chopper had fallen asleep on a chair with his head lying on the desk in front of him. And on the desk, were about a dozen medical books opened to what seemed like random pages to Nami, but were probably really important information to Chopper.

Not wanting to wake him up, Nami tiptoed to Chopper's bed and grabbed the blanket that was still neatly folded on top of the bed. Then she carefully tiptoed back to Chopper and rested the blanket on top of him. Even after all that careful tiptoeing though, Chopper was still awakened from the slight pressure of the blanket that was put on him.

"Nami?" He groggily asked.

"Sorry, I woke you up." Nami gave him an apologetic smile.

"It's okay. Where's everyone else?"

"Zoro, Usopp, Sanji and RIku are still in their rooms, and Franky and Robin went out to search for Brook."

Chopper paused before he whispered "I hope Brook's okay."

Nami felt sympathy for Chopper. After all, it wasn't everyday that one of your nakama went missing. Even if he was a perverted skeleton, Nami still missed him.

"Don't worry, Chopper. Brook will be just fine." She smiled at him.

"What about Brook?"

Surprised by the third voice, Nami and Chopper both turned their heads to the occupied bed. They could see Luffy with his eyes open, giving them a weak smile.

"Luffy!" They both cried. Chopper rushed towards him while Nami grabbed his straw hat that was hanging on a hook and then ran over to his side. She placed it on top of Luffy's chest.

"Thanks." He sighed.

"Luffy! How do you feel? You must be hungry, I'll go get Sanji to make you some food. Does it hurt anywhere? Do you need any water? Here, I'll change the cloth on your head." Chopper said all of this in a rush, happy that Luffy has finally woken up.

Luffy gave a small chuckle before he said "I've felt worse and you don't need to get Sanji, I don't feel like eating right now."

Chopper and Nami glanced at each other before Chopper said "Are you sure? You haven't eaten since yesterday and you sound really weak right now."

"I told you, I've felt worse and I'm not hungry right now." He reminded, "Anyway, what happened to Brook?"

"He..." Chopper could feel his throat dry up. It was one thing for him to disappear like that; it was another to have to tell your sick Captain. But Chopper didn't need to say anything because Nami spoke for him.

"He went outside for some fresh air. Robin and Franky just went to go get him." She lied.

"Fresh air?" Luffy frowned, "Is something wrong?"

"No, no," Nami shook her head, "Everything's fine. We landed on an island and now we're just waiting for you to get better so we can leave. So you should get some more rest, so we can all leave soon."

Luffy let out a sigh of relief "Okay! As long as everyone's fine." And he closed his eyes again to sleep. Seconds later, snoring could be heard coming from his mouth.

Chopper pulled Nami out of the room and closed the door before he whispered "Why did you lie to Luffy?"

Nami whispered back "Because he shouldn't have to worry about any of this while he's sick. Didn't you hear his voice? He sounded so weak; like it was a struggle just to talk. He wouldn't feel any better if he really knew how bad things have gotten without him. Brook is missing, Zoro and Sanji won't even talk to each other, and then there's Riku."

Chopper knew she was right. It was just another weight to add to his already drooping shoulders. What happened to the confidence he had last night? Forget about that, Luffy didn't need to know how much the crew was falling apart when he wasn't there to keep them smiling.

"Besides," Nami continued, "I'm really worried about him. I was surprised when he said he wasn't hungry. That doesn't sound very Luffy like at all. Even if he did have a fever, he would still be demanding for five meals worth of food."

"Yeah, you're right." Chopper agreed, "I need to get back to those medical books. I just have to find symptoms for high fevers and loss of appetite from animal bites."

"That's all you have to look for, right? I'll help you." She volunteered. Chopper gave her a grateful look before she said "It's no problem at all. Besides, you could use some sleep, you look terrible."

* * *

Zoro felt his eye twitch as he and Usopp headed to Luffy and Chopper's room.

"I really hope Luffy and Brook are all right." Usopp worried. "And it doesn't help if you and Sanji are fighting."

"I already told you already that Luffy and Brook are going to be fine. And that damn cook was the one who started it first!" Zoro shouted that last part which made Usopp step away in fear.

"Okay, okay, I get it. But-" Usopp stopped when he saw Sanji already at Luffy and Chopper's door, just about to knock.

When Sanji noticed them coming, he didn't knock though, and just glared at Zoro, who glared back. The three of them just stood there in silence, Usopp's silence was more awkward then anything though. He stood there squirming and feeling out of place as Sanji and Zoro stared daggers at each other.

Finally having enough of it, Usopp decided to break the silence. "Isn't Riku with you, Sanji?"

"He wanted to stay in the room. He said he'll come in a little bit." He answered, breaking the staring contest and knocking on the door.

A few seconds later, Nami answered the door and let them in. When they walked inside, they saw Chopper and Luffy sleeping on their beds and books were sprawled out all over the desk and floors.

"What the-" Usopp began to say, but Nami put her index finger over her lips to tell them to be quiet.

"Chopper pulled an all nighter trying to find a cure for Luffy. I'm helping him while he rests, but I haven't found anything yet." She whispered.

"How's Luffy doing?" Usopp asked.

"His fever's gotten worse. I'm starting to get really worried about him."

"I keep telling you that he's going to be fine. It's only been a day, nothing to get yourself worked up about." Zoro said harshly.

Nami bit her bottom lip and Sanji stared at her worried face. _What the hell is that bastard doing? Is this supposed to be his way of helping?!_

"Zoro-" Nami started to say, but Sanji interrupted her.

"Don't waste your breath on insensitive jerks like him, Nami. People like him don't give a damn, even if they make women cry." He sneered that last part at him.

"What was that?!" Zoro raised his voice, reaching for his swords, "If you're trying to tell me something, say it to my face!"

"Zoro!" Nami scolded at how loud he got.

"Fine! Scum like you disgust me! You made a women cry and won't even admit to it! To me, that's the most terrible thing a man could ever do!" He shouted.

"Sanji!" Usopp pleaded, trying to get them both to quiet down.

"You know what?! I **don't **give a damn because-"

"Zoro!" Nami and Usopp both pleaded.

Zoro stared at them both, and then his eyes wandered to Chopper who woke up because of all the noise, then finally, his eyes rested on Luffy's sick form.

He stared at how red his face was. He was sweating all over his bed and his breathing has gotten heavier since yesterday.

Zoro couldn't take it anymore. His breathing got quicker, his palms felt sweaty, and the roomed seemed like it was closing in on him. He turned around and stormed out of the room.

A second later, Riku walked in. They all assumed that he knew what happened from how loud they were.

Everyone was silent until Sanji said "I'm going outside." He walked past everyone and unintentionally shoved Riku aside when he walked out of the room.

"I'm sorry for that, Riku." Nami apologized sadly to him.

"What... just happened?" Chopper asked, confused since he only saw part of the argument.

"I don't know." Usopp whispered.

Suddenly remembering something, Chopper cried "Luffy! Nami, when was the last time you checked his temperature?"

"Um, about three hours ago." Nami said.

Without a moment's hesitation, Chopper rushed to Luffy's bed and checked his temperature.

"What's wrong, Chopper?" Usopp asked.

Chopper could feel tears in his eyes as he announced "Luffy's temperature has gone above the average fever. If things continue like this, without a cure, Luffy could die."

* * *

**Nami**

Nami couldn't believe her ears. _Was this really happening? Did Chopper really just say that?_ Her breathing quickened and a bead of sweat dripped down her forehead. Usopp wasn't any better though, he ran out of the room as soon as Chopper's words processed in his mind.

"Luffy... could die?" She squeaked. Chopper only nodded his head as tears were now visibly falling down his face. He bit his lip hard to keep himself from wailing out, as to not cause Luffy to wake up.

"Chopper..." Nami whispered, on the verge of tears herself.

_Was Luffy really going to die from some stupid fever? I've experienced a life or death situation from a fever before and I've lived, so why can't Luffy?! That's right __**the**__ Straw Hat Luffy! The man that's destined to become Pirate King one day! He wouldn't dare to die from something as small as a fever! That would just be pathetic! Because Luffy would never... never... never..._

Chopper's words echoed in her mind. She covered her mouth with her hand as her denial faded away. Luffy could die. This was a possibility that was hitting them right in the face. Slowly, Nami bent down her knees until they hit the floor. Then, she quickly grabbed Chopper into a tight hug, her tears finally running down her face. They both stayed like that, both of them silently crying for their Captain.

Riku silently stood at the side watching, as the chaos unfolded onto the Straw Hats.

* * *

**Usopp**

_Damn it! How could this have happened?!_

Feeling every nerve inside of him telling him to run, Usopp did just that. He ran out of the building, down the road, across the streets and kept on running until his knees buckled. He rested his hands on his knees, gasping for breath while thinking about all the terrible events that happened. Brook. Zoro. Sanji. Luffy.

_How could this have happened?!_, he asked himself again. They were so happy just yesterday, but now, things have happened. Terrible, terrible things.

Usopp could feel himself start to hyperventilate. He began running again, trying to run away from the problems that were right in front of him, but it only kept his mind on the biggest problem of all.

Luffy could die.

"DAMN IT! HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED?!" Usopp screamed out loud this time. He didn't care of everyone around gave him weird looks, he just kept on running.

He ran and ran and ran until he ran right into a familiar bulky figure.

"Hey! Watch it, you-" Franky began to growl, but stopped when he realized who it was. He lifted his sunglasses to check if his eyes were tricking him and then blinked when he was sure that it was Usopp who ran into him. "Usopp? Why were you running?" When he didn't get a response and saw Usopp looking away from him, he softly said "Come on, bro. Let's talk." And calmly walked in the direction towards the hotel, not looking back to see if Usopp would follow.

Franky sighed in relief when he heard Usopp's hesitant footsteps follow after him.

* * *

**Franky**

"So you're saying, that there's a chance that Luffy could die?" Franky blinked again when Usopp bit his lip and nodded his head.

...

"I don't believe you." Franky stubbornly said.

"Wha-" Usopp felt his mouth drop a little in surprise, but soon felt anger rise up in his chest. "What, do you think I'm lying?! This is no time to joke around. Luffy-"

"Is not going to die." Franky finished. "This is Luffy we're talking about."

"But..."

Franky stopped walking and caused Usopp to stop too. He stared right into his eyes and asked "We're bros, right?" When Usopp immediately nodded, he continued "Then believe me when I say Luffy will live. Have some faith in him, bro."

Usopp didn't know what to say, he was speechless for quite a while before he finally said "Thanks, Franky, I mean, bro." He smiled as he walked ahead towards the hotel. Franky grinned as he ran to catch up.

"By the way, I forgot to ask you; how did your search go?" Usopp asked. Now it was Franky's turn to look away from him.

_He's really beating himself up about Brook's disappearance._, Usopp worried.

"It's not your fault." convinced Usopp, "Even if it was, it would be my fault too, since I was with you. But it's neither of our faults because Brook can handle himself. He's not a child, in fact, he's old enough to be a grandpa! We're going to find him and he's going to be fine." Usopp finished with a triumphant grin.

Franky paused, thinking about Usopp's words. Then he finally smiled and exclaimed "You're right. Thanks, bro!"

"No problem. Ah, I also heard that Robin was helping too. Where'd she go?"

"We decided to split up, but she said she had to do something first. I wonder how she's doing. She should be back at the hotel by now."

"Oh." Usopp just said. _What could be so important?_, Usopp wondered, but quickly forgot about it when they finally reached the hotel.

* * *

The door creaked open and Brook braced himself for his kidnapper. With the candle light held up to his kidnapper's face, Brook had a clear view of who it was.

"Yohoho, well isn't this a surprise... Rayleigh."

* * *

**Did you enjoy this chapter? Let me know! Seem very dramatic and emotional? Let me know! (Hopefully because that's what I was aiming for...)**

** I love the reviews, so keep them coming, everyone! Until next time, later! **


	4. A Poneglyph of Truth

** Sorry it took longer than usual for this chapter, I had a bit of writer's block...**

** Anyway, since last chapter, you didn't get to see much of Robin, this chapter focus's a little more on her. Enjoy!**

**Kiri Takumi: Thanks a lot! You sounded really enthusiastic about the last chapter and I'm happy that you loved it! :D**

* * *

** A Poneglyph of Truth**

Robin couldn't think straight. She wasn't able to concentrate on anything other than what happened yesterday when she and Franky were searching for Brook. Something had happened. Something so big, it could change Robin's life forever. She took a shaky breath as the memories of yesterday's events came flooding back to her.

**Flashback**

"Before we start looking, there's something important I have to do. So go ahead without me, I'll find you later." Robin told Franky as they headed outside the hotel.

Feeling eager to start looking for Brook, Franky didn't give it a second thought and said "Sure, but it'll be better if we split up, so just start looking for Brook when you're done whatever you're doing."

"Right." Robin answered, and with that, Franky quickly went off to find Brook.

Trying her best to not look suspicious, Robin headed to the tallest building she saw, which she assumed was the King's Palace.

She stopped at a good distance from the Palace entrance and took out a map of the city that she got from the hotel. Acting like a lost tourist while looking at her map, Robin secretly used her Devil Fruit powers to sprout eyes around and inside the Palace.

_Only two guards outside and three inside? These people are too arrogant for their own good._, Robin silently scolded. _Now, how to get in..._

Robin smiled as an idea came to her. She calmly walked out of sight from the Palace guards. Seconds later, an identical copy of Robin walked back to the Palace entrance and straight to the two guards.

"Excuse me," She smiled sweetly at them, "I'm a little lost, can you two possibly guide me to the nearest restaurant?" When the two guards didn't respond, she added "Oh, and I'm Robin from the Straw Hat Pirates."

Immediately, they apologized and started sucking up to the fake Robin while they both led her away from the Palace.

The real Robin smile as she put the map away from her face and walked up to the Palace doors.

_'You see, in the City of Roger, status is everything.'_

Those words came back to Robin as she thought, _When in doubt, use your status._ Now all she had to do was find a way inside... unless...

A ridiculous thought came to Robin before she quickly dismissed it. However, when she kept trying to think up plans to get inside, the thought kept popping back in her head. She decided it couldn't hurt to try it, so she cautiously walked right up to the giant double doors and lightly gave one of them a push.

She felt the door open a little from her touch.

...

They have got to be kidding. It's either the King wanted the citizens to feel as welcome as possible to his Palace or he was so full of himself, he didn't think that anyone would dare to sneak into his Palace. But from what Robin have seen so far, she assumed it was the latter of the two.

Robin let out a sigh as she once again, used her Devil Fruit powers to look inside the Palace. It seemed the three guards that were inside were now with the King himself, inside his room.

From what Robin could see, the King was a young man who looked fairly handsome. It looked like he was showing off his royal attire to the three guards. Robin sprouted an ear to hear what they were saying.

"What do you think?" The King smiled smugly at them, obviously expecting a positive reply.

"All the girls will be chasing you, your Highness." The first guard smiled approvingly.

"You look amazing, your Highness." The second guard complimented.

"Anything would look great on you." The third guard added.

The King narrowed his eyes at the third guard. "Anything would look great on me, **what**?!" He snapped.

Panic filled the third guard's eyes and he quickly stuttered "Anything would look great on you, your Highness!"

The third guard let out a sigh of relief when the King gave another smug smile and said "I know."

Having seen enough, Robin removed the ear and eye from the room and opened the Palace doors enough for her to sneak in. _What a... fitting King for this city._, Robin thought, disgusted at the people here. The ones who worshiped and the ones who loved to be worshiped. Robin never knew such a place existed.

Remembering her objective there, Robin forgot about everything else and headed straight for the throne room while using the mental map she had made when she peeked inside with all the eyes she had sprouted.

Robin quickly reached her destination and thought back to what the fake Luffy had said to her. A treasure room behind the throne...

From what Robin could see, behind the throne was just a plain wall with a single lamp hanging off of it.

She smiled as she walked up to the lamp and pulled it down. As expected, a secret door slid open to reveal the treasure room. Classic.

She walked in and was immediately blinded by all the piles of gold coins and jewels. This room really was something. It was the size of a football field and had enough coins and jewels to match it's size She would have to show Nami this room when everything was back to normal.

It wasn't hard to find the poneglyph because it was right in the center of the room. Robin walked up to it and traced the writing with her fingers.

_It seems he wasn't lying. There really is a ponelgyph here._, Robin thought as she continued to trace the writing that only she could read. From first glance, there wasn't much writing on it, only a few sentences.

Finally, Robin read the writing out loud "If your heart seeks the truth, follow your ancestor's path. The moon is blue, find the crystal, and announce your truest desires."

This confused Robin more than anything. Follow your ancestor's path? What did that even mean? And how was she supposed to follow it? The moon is blue? Did they mean it literally? And if so, was there even such a thing? The rest was pretty straight forward, but that didn't make this any less confusing.

"What is this?" Robin whispered.

"I believe, Nico Robin, that this is the key to finding the truth behind the void century." Aokiji announced, walking into the treasure room.

**Present Time**

"Robin?" Nami asked, waving her hand in front of Robin's face.

Robin blinked "I'm sorry, what was that?"

Nami frowned "I asked you if you were feeling okay. You've been really out of it today, Robin. Are you feeling sick?"

Robin shook her head "No, I'm feeling fine. I just need some time to myself right now. I'll be in our room."

She abruptly stood up and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

She had been helping out Nami, Chopper and Usopp with their search for a cure this afternoon, but hadn't been able to concentrate enough to give any useful help. Sanij and Zoro had gone off to do their own thing this morning while Riku stayed in his room and Franky went out to look for Brook again.

When the door closed behind Robin, Chopper and Usopp finally looked up from their books, noticing Robin's absence.

"Where did Robin go?" Chopper asked innocently.

Nami bit her bottom lip she said "I think... Robin left to go settle a problem of her own."

Chopper and Usopp gave her a puzzled look before they went back to their medical books.

* * *

Robin lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling while she lost herself in her thoughts again.

**Flashback**

"Aokiji!" Robin gasped, stumbling backwards. She quickly composed herself again and glared at him.

Aokiji held his hands up as if he was surrendering "Relax, I'm not a marine anymore, remember? I'm not here to pick a fight."

"Then why are you here?" She had put on a blank expression, hiding her anger and fear, while trying to think clearly again, but that couldn't stop the shaking in her voice.

Aokiji noticed that too and smiled at her like they were sharing a secret joke. Robin felt her anger rise up, so she took a deep breath to calm herself.

Then, in a more controlled voice, she asked again "What are you doing here?"

Instead of answering, Aokiji picked up a gold coin and flipped it in the air, catching it in his palm. He dropped it and walked up to her. He stopped right beside her and stared at the , he looked at Robin and in a amused tone, answered "Checking up on you?" He had said it like he was asking Robin a question that was up to her to decide.

Robin gritted her teeth, but kept her cool and asked "What do you want?"

"Actually, I think the question is what do **you** want?" Aokiji corrected her.

Robin raised an eyebrow and he continued "The poneglyph." He murmured, "It's asking you what you want."

Robin knew she should have just left without saying another word. Aokiji was probably just going crazy from his defeat against Akainu. But Robin's curiosity got the better of her, so she stood her grounds. A saying crossed her mind, then. How did it go? Curiosity killed the cat? But she still had to know, she was an archeologist after all.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

Aokiji smiled at her. Robin balled her hands into fists. She knew exactly what he was thinking. She had caught the bait. Hook, line, and sinker.

"About two years ago, just before the war at Marineford, there was a rumor going around about a certain King planning to take over the world because he had somehow gained control of one of the three ancient weapons. The rumor soon reached HQ and I was sent to confirm if it was true or not. It turned out that only part of it was true. Yes, the King was planning on taking over the world. However, he was not in possession of an ancient weapon... yet."

"Yet?" Robin asked.

Aokiji continued "It seemed that he had another two and a half years to go." He paused before asking "Do you have any guesses to how he would obtain an ancient weapon?"

Robin thought it over for a few seconds before she got a dark expression on her face. "This poneglyph."

"Correct." He nodded, "When I confronted him about the rumor, he panicked and told me everything. Apparently, his family has been keeping this poneglyph safe from the World Government for generations now. Lucky for us, the current King is a real blabber mouth and a wimp. Right after he confessed, I struck a deal with him. I would keep this poneglyph a secret from the World Government and not throw him in jail if he, one, vowed to never follow the instructions on this poneglyph; two, allowed me access to it whenever I wished, and three, gave me all the information he had on his family history."

Robin could think of a million questions at that moment, but chose to just ask the one that bothered her the most.

"Why didn't you tell anyone about the poneglyph?"

"Because if I did, all hell would have been set loose." He answered, "I'm not stupid, I know better than anyone what would happen if the World Government found out about it. Who knows how corrupted they could become with that power?"

Robin was about to point out that the World Government were already corrupted, but he continued "Wars would happen. People would die. I made the right choice, but enough of that, it's time to tell you why I'm really here."

**Present Time**

"79,998... 79,999... 80,000!" Zoro grunted. He rolled onto his back, causing the two house sized boulders that he had been balancing on his back while doing push ups, to fall to the ground next to him.

Ever since yesterday, Zoro had been avoiding everyone, so as soon as he woke up this morning, he went outside the safe walls of the city to train.

Zoro lay on the grassy fields, breathing heavily while he watched the setting sun. His mind kept wandering back to yesterday's events and damn, was he angry. It was that bastard's fault, so why did it seem like everyone was mad at him?! Zoro could feel himself get angrier. It was burning up inside of him. His hands turned into fists as Sanji's accusing face kept popping into his mind.

In frustration, he punched the giant boulder that was next to him. A second later, it crumbled into tine pieces of rubble and dust, but his knuckle was left dripping in blood.

He took a deep breath and stood up to walk back to the hotel, not bothering to clean the blood off his fist.

* * *

Zoro felt his eye twith for the second time in two days.

He could feel the stares of everyone around him as they whispered and gossiped about his bloody hand while also trying to avoid him. He narrowed his eyes at them and they quickly looked away. He knew he should have wiped the blood off before he walked inside the city, but he was too angry to care, and he sure as hell wasn't going to give these people the satisfaction of wiping his hands off now.

He felt a headache coming as he rubbed his forehead with his clean hand. What he needed at the moment was some good booze. Yeah, that's exactly what he needed. He gave a sinister smile (which caused everyone to back away even farther from him) at the thought of getting his hands on some.

"Hey, you!" Zoro shouted at the nearest citizen.

"Y-Yes!" He stuttered as his back stiffened and a bead of sweat dripped down his face.

"Where's the closest bar?" He demanded.

The poor guy gave Zoro the directions and quickly ran off in the other direction.

_What a bunch of wimps._, Zoro thought, _They suck up to you at first, but when they see the slightest hint of danger, they run away like cowards._

He headed to the bar and you could call it luck or maybe even Zoro's Sake Sensors, but he managed to get there without getting lost. However, what you would call unlucky was the fact that a certain someone was already inside, flirting with all the women he saw.

**Sanji**

"Ah, my lovely mademoiselle, it must be fate that brought us here together!" Sanji flirted. The bartender he was flirting with giggled in response.

When he heard an obnoxious voice demanding for a barrel of sake next to him, an irritated look appeared on his face.

"Who would be so rude to such a magnificent woman?!" He snarled, turning to face the person.

Zoro glared at him "What are **you** doing here?"

* * *

Robin's eyes snapped open as she jolted up on her bed. Her eyes wandered around until she found the analog clock hanging on the wall.

7:30 P.M.

She sighed as she remembered that she had fallen asleep on her bed a little while ago. She closed her eyes again and thought back to the dream she just had. It seems that she's been thinking about Aokiji and the poneglyph so much that she's begun to dream about them.

**Flashback**

"Hmm, where to start off?" Aokiji mused, "How about I explain the poneglyph's meaning?" He waited for a response, but shrugged and continued when Robin stayed silent.

"If your heart seeks the truth, follow your ancestor's path. 'If your heart seeks the truth'. Pretty straight forward if you ask me. 'The truth' would be the answer to anything you don't know, like the whereabouts of an ancient weapon for example. 'Follow your ancestor's path' would be referring to the current King's ancestors. It seems that they were quite the adventurers, travelling from land to land. They were even so nice as to leave pieces of a treasure map all around the Grand Line. Actually, it was a huge pain to gather all the pieces in secret." He scratched the back of his head.

"What's the treasure?" Robin asked.

"Ah! I'm glad you asked!" He ginned, "The treasure would be 'the crystal.' The moon is blue, find the crystal, and announce your truest desires. About every thousand years or so, the moon turns a bright shade of blue for just one night and no one has ever been able to figure out why. This is when 'the crystal' comes in. When the moon turns blue, the crystal shines a miniature rainbow in the air, and that's when you announce your 'truest desires'. You speak what you want to know, and the crystal shows you 'the truth'.

"Even what happened in the void century." Robin finished.

Was there really such a thing as this 'crystal'? Could it really have the answer to what she's been dreaming about her whole life? The truth behind the void century. She could feel her heart racing. It felt so close, but so far.

"When..." She took a shaky breath, "When will the moon turn blue?"

Aokiji grinned. Hook, line, and sinker.

"A week from now." He answered, "It takes about four days to travel from here to the crystal."

"Why are you telling me this?" She asked, already anticipating what his answer would be.

"You could say... that this is a proposition." He chose his words carefully. Robin raised an eyebrow and he continued, "I take you to the crystal and you give up the life of a pirate."

"Forget about it." Robin said without any hesitation.

He didn't seem surprised by her answer, instead, he said "Oh I see. You think that you could just find the crystal with your little pirate crew. Well let me tell you this; you won't make it in time. Don't think that I haven't been keeping tabs on you and your crew."

Robin had a sudden mental image of Aokiji watching them behind a bush with binoculars.

He continued "I know the conditions that your friends are in. Two of them are fighting. One of them has disappeared. And most importantly, your Captain is so sick that he could die."

Robin was surprised by the last one. This was the first time that she's heard of this; why didn't anyone tell her?

"They didn't tell you about Straw Hat Luffy's condition because you don't belong." He said. Robin shivered, it was like he read her mind.

He continued "No matter what they may have told you, that doesn't change the fact that you're still a demon."

Robin clenched her fist "That's not true."

"It is and your 'friends' know it too." His voice changed it into a more gentle tone, "That's why they'll never understand your desire to find the true. They're too busy with their own problems to bother with yours. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. An opportunity that you'll never get again if you stay here with your so called friends."

Robin didn't know what to say. The obvious thing would be to decline his offer again, but his words kept stabbing at her like a knife to the heart. Her throat dried up. She didn't know what to think anymore.

"Think about what I've told you today. Things are happening soon. Dangers things that you can't begin to understand. And you'll get sucked into it if you continue the life of a pirate as one of the Straw Hats. The day after tomorrow, I'll be here at the same time to hear your final answer. To stay or to go, you must make your decision by then." And with that happy thought, Aokiji crumbled into tiny pieces of ice, a random wind blowing the pieces away.

**Present Time**

Robin didn't know what to do. There was just no other way to put it. For her whole life, all she wanted to do was find the true history. And here it was, at the tip of her fingers, just out of reach. But she couldn't give up being a pirate. She couldn't just abandon her crew. Still... a part of her wanted to know the truth behind the void century so badly that she was willing to do anything for it.

The truth... was it so much to ask? Apparently it was and that only made Robin angrier. What made her even angrier though, was Aokiji She just didn't understand him. Was he a friend or foe? He wants Robin to leave the Straw Hats so much that he was willing to reveal to her the key to finding the void century. Then he goes on about dangerous things that's about to happen?! If anything, he was the real danger!

She blinked in surprise when she heard a knock on her door.

"Robin? Are you in there?" She heard Nami's voice. Robin didn't answer her; instead, she sprouted an eye in the hallway, making sure that Nami didn't see it.

Nami continued "If you're hungry, we ordered some room service, so feel free to come grab a bite to eat." When she still didn't get a response, she started to leave, but hesitated before she stopped and softly said "If you need help with anything, don't hesitate to tell me... actually, don't hesitate to tell any of us. We're all nakama after all. We have each other's backs." And with that, she finally left down the hallway.

"Nakama..." Robin whispered to herself.

* * *

**Brook**

"Yohoho! This is some fine tea you have here!" Brook exclaimed, taking a sip from the tea cup.

After Rayleigh revealed himself to Brook, he kindly offered him some tea, which Brook politely accepted. They were now sitting on a picnic blanket and drinking from a tea set, all of which Rayleigh have brought along.

"Why, thank you very much! You have very good tastes; this tea was imported all the way from... Ah, but you probably don't care about that right now. I'm guessing you're wondering why you're here right now." Rayleigh guessed.

"Hmm?" He removed the tea cup from his lips (Not like he had lips! Yohoho!), "Now that I think about it, I am curious to why I'm enjoying tea right now and not spending time with my crew..." He shrugged and took another cheerful sip.

Rayleigh almost facepalmed at this. Even if they were drinking some delicious tea, shouldn't Brook be the least bit worried to why he was there in the first place?

He sighed "Listen carefully, Brook. You must not leave this underground tunnel, at least, not until I say otherwise."

Brook tilted his head "And why's that?"

Rayleigh had a serious expression on his face "This is because as we speak, your crew members are experiencing a very crucial moment that could decide whether or not you make it all the way through the New World."

"I don't understand." He frowned, "Luffy just has a small fever. I don't think it's anything to be worried about."

Rayleigh gave him a sympathetic look and Brook knew that he would not like the news he received next.

"A lot of things can happen in just two days. Robin seems to be distancing herself from your crew, Zoro and Sanji are acting more recklessly than before, and worst of all, Luffy could die from this 'small fever' of his."

Brook's jaw dropped. It felt like someone just switched one of Usopp's fake five ton hammers for a real one and dropped it on him.

"What am I doing here than?! I must go back to my crew immediately!" Brook cried, feeling guilty that he had been sipping tea while his crew has been facing such a big crisis.

"Please calm down, Brook. Like I said, this is a very crucial moment that could decide the fate of your crew. Acting rashly right now will cost you greatly." He warned.

Brook knew Rayleigh was right. He took a deep breath to calm himself before asking "Rayleigh, please tell me; what do you know?"

Rayleigh closed his eyes and after what seemed like an eternity to Brook, he finally opened them again.

"Every once in a while, ever since your crew reunited and left Sabaody Archipelago, I would check up on the Straw Hats. When I found out you**_ (You= Straw Hats)_** were getting close to a certain island, I've kept a close eye on you all."

Brook was surprised. A certain island? Which one was it? They've been to a lot of them since they entered the New World. He was about to ask which island he was talking about, but Rayleigh continued.

"I didn't even need to check up on you to know this one; Luffy was bitten by a strange creature, am I right? And you also found a young boy who goes by the name Riku?"

He blinked (Not like he had eyes to blink with! Yohoho!), even more surprised now. "How did you know?"

Rayleigh sighed, remembering a dark memory that he did not enjoy. "I was hoping that I would be wrong, but it seems that wasn't the case. To answer your question, I know this information because what's happening to your crew is what happened to my crew, 26 years ago."

* * *

**Hopefully, this chapter wasn't as confusing as I thought it might be. If there's anything that confuses you, don't hesitate to ask! And also, I should probably explain something about Brook to clear things up. Last chapter, when I revealed that it was Rayleigh who kidnapped him, you could say that was a sort of a preview for this what I revealed about him last chapter, is what's happening now, today in the story, if that makes sense...**

** Anyways, review to let me know what you think of this chapter. Until next time, later!**


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